


French Fries and Long Nights [part 1: The Weekend]

by oldmanjenkins



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Bill is a mess, Drinking, F/M, First Meetings, Getting Together, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Past Abuse, Secrets, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Smoking, Sonia Kaspbrak Being Terrible, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Teenage Losers Club (IT), Teenagers, boys being gay, cause fuck that guy, kinda not really, they're both gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25249651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oldmanjenkins/pseuds/oldmanjenkins
Summary: Eddie stops when he sees what Richie was so desperate to show him. SORRY I ONLY ACCEPT FRENCH FRIES FROM MY SOULMATE written in soft lettering just under his collarbone.Eddie swallows; he meets Richie’s imploring stare. He looks for the underlying expression there but only finds curiosity.“Um, sorry, but it’s not me.”--A Reddie soulmate AU where neither of them really believe in soulmates but fall in love anyway.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon/Stanley Uris
Comments: 17
Kudos: 55





	1. Richie

**Author's Note:**

> Had this idea based on how I would react to my soulmate. I don't really know where this is going but looks like it'll be the longest fic I've ever written so join me for the ride !!!
> 
> Comments, questions, and feedback are welcome !!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie meets Eddie for the first time.

Richie Tozier never really wanted a soulmate. But he was never really against the idea either. I guess that’s just what happens when you’re the product of parents who found their soulmates after being married with a kid for ten years. Who were completely devoted to each other but by some flaw in the universe were told that they weren’t actually meant to be together. They divorced when Richie was 11. He spent half the time with each parent and their new spouses and even though he knew his parents were happy together he could just sense how incredibly perfect they were with these new people. Their _soulmates_. Richie figured if these things called soulmates were important enough to make breaking up a happy family worth it, then there could be some merit to the theory.

Richie didn’t start looking for his soulmate until he was 14. He had fallen for someone. Hard. And it wasn’t the fact that it was a boy that was hard, or even the fact that he was the cousin of the town bully that made it hard. It was the fact that he wasn’t _his_. And no matter how much Richie loved this boy it didn’t matter because in no universe would he say the words that lined Richie’s collarbone and in every universe he would end up with some one else. And it was then that Richie refused to be his parents and spend all his love on a dead end. He didn’t think his heart could take it.

So, he did what he knew, he made it a game. He asked anyone he met leading questions or put himself in situations where he could talk to as many new people as possible. That’s how he got himself to a party on the far side of town, at this point however, he was pretty sure he’d talked to everyone in Derry’s population of a few thousand.

The party was _happening_.

Well as happening as it can get with a single joint and a few packs of cheap beer for thirty people cause you and everyone you know are a bunch of poor fucks. And when you live in a town where everybody knows everybody and their grandparents, shops are pretty quick to ban any lawbreakers that dare.

Richie got to the party around 9 pm dressed in his Friday night best (red Hawaiian shirt layered over a credence clearwater revival tee and the jeans with the least holes in them).

Mike Hanlon’s barn smelled like cow ass and hay, but they could play their music as loud as they wanted so it was 100% worth it. Richie made a mental note to request some AC/DC after he found his friends. Looking around the sparse crowd he recognized everyone from school or temple or just around their tiny town. Most of the attendees were drinking and dancing (dry humping) in the middle of the floor, some were huddled around what looked like a Mario Kart competition in the back, and a few were smoking in the frame of the side door.

“Jesus this is pathetic.” Richie muttered to himself. Not that he had anything better to do.

Suddenly he felt a firm whack on his shoulder. “Holy --”

“F-finally came out to p-p-play Tozier!” The assailant was none other than Bill Denbrough, the class “could have been golden boy” who was on the fast track to getting out of this dump with his natural charisma and way with words but who fell off the rails after the early death of his baby brother. He already looked about 3 solo cups in with another full one in hand.

“We g-g-getting trashed ton-night?”

“You’re always trashed Big Bill.” Richie half smiled.

“Booo. Y-y-you gotta live up to your n-name sometime Trashmouth!”

Richie detached himself from Bill’s shoulder grip. “Hey is Bev here yet?”

“Yeah. She’s out b-back with h-her man. Lucky b-b-bastards.”

Richie cracks a devilish grin and rubs his hands together. “Cockblock time!”

He scampers over towards the smokers leaving Bill to empty his cup.

The fifth piece in their little friendship pentagon was the ever so vibrant Beverly Marsh with her crimson hair and thick eyeliner that framed the most dissecting pair of blue eyes you ever had the misfortune of looking into.

Bill was just salty cause he had a crush on her since he saw her beating the crap out of some girl who called her a slut but was swiftly disappointed when she opened her mouth. And Bill was double salty these days cause just last month she said the right words to the marshmallow-y new kid who, in any other circumstance, would never have stood a chance.

Richie found the two of them on the side of the barn standing close so their hands could touch with no effort and giggling about whatever the fuck couples talk about. The warm September night air wrapped around the three of them.

“Hey! Make any ripe tomato babies yet?”  
Bev doesn’t even need to turn around to see who it was. “Ugh beep beep Richie. She turns and blows a cloud of smoke in his face.

“Haha, hey Richie!” Ben smiles his chipmunk smile at a coughing Richie.

“Waddup haystack?”

Taking another drag of her cigarette, Bev eyeballs Richie has he rounds the couple to stand in front of them.

“So, how’s Derry treating ya Benny Boy? Run into any Bowers shaped problems yet?

“Oh um,” Ben’s smile diminishes just a bit. “No not really.”

Bev snaps her gaze from Richie to Ben.  
“What? What the fuck happened?”

“Nothing!”

Bev simply crosses her arms and turns her body towards her boyfriend.

“Ok just – they just tried to stuff me in a locker and laughed when I didn’t fit. That’s all.” His voice gets quieter as the memory replays.

Bev’s face quickly turns from shock to anger. “Why didn’t you tell me! I’m going to fucking kill him!” She crushes the cigarette in her palm.

“That’s why!” Ben replies while grabbing her hand. “It wasn’t that bad. I didn’t want you to get worked up.”

Richie glances down to Bev’s wrist where Ben massages her soul mark _WOW THANKS A LOT_ and sees how it immediately calms her down. He looks at Ben’s in the same spot _YOU OK, NEW KID?_

“Fuck I can’t wait for that.” Richie thinks to himself.

Richie sharply claps his hands together. “Ok new topic! Bev!?”

“Yes!”

“New-new kid? Losers club material or nah?”

“Oh definitely. Eddie Kaspbrak is a trauma ridden mess with a sense of humor and a psycho streak. He’s definitely one of us.”

Richie pumps the air with both fists. “Yes! The soulmate-less foursome is complete!”

“Oh, I don’t know about that Richie.” Ben interjects.

“No. Who? With WHO?”

The couple lean into the doorway and scan the crowd. Richie quickly follows suit.

“There.” Bev points at a lanky curly haired boy in a khaki ensemble talking to the host of the party. They’re sitting on the couch, Mike’s hand in Stan’s hair and Stan’s hand on Mike’s forearm, and if anyone knew Stan they would tell you he doesn’t let ANYONE touch him. Richie didn’t even get a hug out of the guy until five long years of loyal bestfriendship.

Richie gasps and clutches his fake pearls. “Nooooo!!”

“Yep.” they answer in unison.

Richie takes a deep inhale, “STAN YOU CHEATING BASTARD HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME???”

Most of the party stop to look at the source of the outburst. Stan and Mike especially. Mike looks mostly amused, Stan looks pissed. “Shut the fuck up Tozier, you had your chance!” And returns to his conversation without a second glance.

Richie fake faints. Ben catches him on reflex.

“Ok lover boy lets get to the party before you embarrass the rest of us.” Bev drags Richie into the party and joins Bill on the dance floor. Shitty 2010s pop blasts over the sound system and the party goes on.

About an hour and a half later Richie is downing his second cup of watered-down piss and gyrating to Party Rock Anthem. “I hate this sooonggg!!” Richie shouts as he dances even more excessively. Bev grabs the back of his shirt and talks into his ear over the pounding music.  
“Hey Eddie’s on his way.”

“New-new kid?”

“Yeah, his train came in early, so I told him we’d pick him up. Wanna come with? I gotta get that drunkard back home anyway.” She nods in the direction of Bill who is more swaying than dancing to the music at this point.

“Oh, Bill.”

The four of them pile into Bev’s ancient station wagon.

***

“What the fuck is this piece of trash?” Richie blurted out upon seeing the monstrosity that laid before him on Bev’s 16th birthday.  
“This piece of trash is going to be hauling your ass around town, so you better sit down and shut up or I’m not letting you pick any of the music.”

“A fatal mistake m’lady. What sweet eargasms you’ll be missing courtesy of the velvety vocals of Rick Astley.”

“Beep, beep Richie! Get in the damn car!”

***

The end of Never Gonna Give You Up blasts through the speakers. Richie bounces to the beat with Bill’s limp arms in his hands. “Never gonna let you down! Never gonna run around and desert you! Never gonna make you crrryyy!”

“Goddamit Richie if he pukes in this car you’re cleaning it up!” Bev yells from the driver’s seat.

“Boo, you’re no fun! Oh, shit let’s go to McDonalds!”

“I don’t know Rich, it’s kind of late.” Ben replies from the front.

“Oh, come on! We gotta break in new-new kid some time!"

“No. We’re not doing you stupid McDonalds experiment, and Eddie’s probably going to be tired."

“McDonalds! McDonalds! MCDONALDS! Richie bounce-chants in the back. Bev and Ben look at each other. Richie’s in one of those moods when he gets a big idea in his head and he won’t rest until he gets what he wants. Otherwise he’ll turn into Unbearably Annoying Richie.

“Fuck, fine.” Bev relents, “But we’re leaving by 12.”

“Yay, thanks mom!”

They drive up to the bus stop on main street around 11. Derry is too small to have a real train station, so Eddie had to bus in. By then they’ve dropped Bill on his couch and covered him with a warm blanket. He’s his mom’s problem now.

Before Richie sees Eddie he hears him. He’s yelling into his cell phone and making sharp gestures with his hands. Richie wonders who he’s talking to.

Bev flicks her lights and Eddie turns. Its only then that Richie’s breath hitches and his brain short circuits cause holy fuck Eddie Kaspbrak is _gorgeous_. He has deep brown eyes and expressive eyebrows and is absolutely drowning in an oversized jean jacket and he doesn’t even realize he hasn’t blinked until Eddie is opening the side door and Richie can hear exactly who he’s talking to.

“No mom I’m not in someone’s trunk. How would I be calling you right now! Bev. Bev, tell my mom she’s crazy.” Eddie shoves his cell phone in Bev’s ear as she starts driving.

“Hello, Aunt Sonia. Yes, he’s fine. No, we’re not doing anything dangerous.”

“See mom. Nothing dangerous. No! God, we’ve been on this call for an hour!”

Richie opens his mouth to introduce himself but is swiftly shut down by a “wait” finger in his face.

“Yes, I have my clothes. Yes, I have my toiletry bag. How could I forget that! Mom – Jesus Christ.”

Bev pulls the car into the McDonalds parking lot. The four climb out of the car, Eddie’s phone still pasted to his ear. And it stays pasted to his ear all the way through ordering their food and deciding on a booth and receiving their food and finally after Eddie has confirmed (for a second time) that he indeed has packed every single item on their shared checklist he finally ends the call.

“Yes, I’ll meet you first thing Monday morning. Ok. Love you too.” Eddie ends the call and slams the phone on the table. “JESUS FUCK.” He groans into his hands. Bev rubs his shoulders from across the table.

“You ok baby?”

“Yep. This is fine.” He lets out a long, LONG sigh.”

“Eat your fries Eddie. I gotta get something from the car.” Bev gets up from the booth, Ben follows.

Eddie roughly ruffles his hair, sighs again.

“French fry?” Richie asks quietly, holding up a pack towards Eddie, feeling a bit forgotten in the whirlwind and a lot sympathetic for whatever the fuck that shit show just was.

“Sorry I only accept French fries from my soulmate.” Eddie turns and looks at Richie for the first time and smiles a weak smile and if Richie wasn’t so blindsided by the happiness of being able to see this mystery man up close for the first time he might have immediately caught onto what Eddie just said.

“Wait.” A wave of realization washes over Richie and his blue eyes boggle behind his glasses. “Say that again.”

Eddie turns a little more towards Richie. “Sorry I only accept French fries from my soulmate?”

“Holy shit.” Richie scrambles to pull the collar of his shirt down.

“What—oh.” Eddie stops when he sees what Richie was so desperate to show him. SORRY I ONLY ACCEPT FRENCH FRIES FROM MY SOULMATE written in soft lettering just under his collarbone.

Eddie swallows; he meets Richie’s imploring stare. He looks for the underlying expression there but only finds curiosity.

“Um, sorry, but it’s not me.”

“Oh.” Richie releases his shirt collar. It’s a bit stretched from his harsh grip. He maybe kind of hoped that this boy with the soft wavy hair and light freckles would be _his_. But, guess not. Richie’s disappointment is obvious though, seeing as Richie Tozier never was one to hide his emotions.

“Here.” Eddie pulls up his sleeve to show his own mark down the side of his arm ARE YOU SURE?

“Damn that’s a tough one.”

“Yeah. Is that why you insisted on coming to McDonalds?” Eddie chuckles.

“Yep. All part of Richie Tozier’s soulmate finding master plan. That’s me by the way. Richie Tozier at your service.” Richie holds out his hand. Eddie smiles bigger.

“Eddie Kaspbrak.” If there’s a tiny spark of electricity that runs down Richie’s spine when they clasp hands he promptly decides it’s just due to the fact that Eddie is looking into Richie’s eyes like … something… and pushes it aside.

“Sorry you had to hear all that by the way. Not the best first impression.”

“Hey anyone who’s down for McDonalds at 12 am and can stand up for themselves is a good egg in my book.”

“Good to know.” Eddie replies, and by god did his eyes just flick to Richie’s lips? No way. Get your head out of the gutter Tozier.

The two of them get busy on the food. They’re knee deep into a debate about which Wiggles member is more fuckable while dunking fries into milkshakes when Bev and Ben return to the Booth.

“We miss anything?” Bev asks while grabbing a box of nuggets.

“Which of the Wiggles is the most fuckable?” Richie instantly questions.

Eddie groans into his hands, “Jesus Christ I already said it’s Lachlan Gillespie.”

“Please, Anthony Field obviously has superior bone structure.”

“You’re insane, Tozier!”

“I knew you two meeting was going to be a mistake.” Bev rolls her eyes at the other two.

They all laugh into the night and don’t leave the McDonalds until well after 2, much to the workers’ disdain. They walk back to the car a bit sugar high but definitely ready to crash once they all get home. Bev drops off Richie first, then Ben, Eddie’s crashing at Bev’s until Monday. After the Wiggles debate Eddie reveled in the fact that he was able to somehow convince his mother to let him stay the weekend with his cousin to get “settled in” which was code for “some goddamn peace and quiet”.

They all decide to meet up the next day with Bill and hopefully Stan and probably his newly acquired soulmate. Richie drops his stuff on the floor of his tousled bedroom and flops on his bed about to knock out. Before he can though he receives a text from EDDIE THE CUTE ONE

_We need to talk. I’ll be at your house at 8._


	2. 8:02 am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t believe in soulmates.” Eddie breaks the silence.

Richie emerges from the depths of a dream about jean jackets and alt j at 2 am courtesy of the harsh _bzzt_ of his doorbell. He searches for his glasses on his cluttered nightstand. 8:02 comes into focus as the doorbell is rung again. “What the fuck, man.” Richie looks a mess in his Robin boxers and credence tee from the night before. He stomps down the stairs fully prepared to curse out whoever the fuck thought an 8 am wakeup call was a good idea. The thought quickly dies on his tongue, however, when he’s met with Eddie's stern glare on the other side of the screen.

“What part of ‘I’ll be at your house at 8’ escaped your understanding?”

“Um.” Richie was at a loss for words, but not from the grogginess of sleep, the opposite in fact. Seeing as Eddie “The Cute One” Kaspbrak was on his front porch wearing a soft yellow polo shirt and form fitting Bermuda shorts and was mostly haloed by the warm summer sun, inevitably, all Richie could think at the moment was, “Why couldn’t it be him?”

“HELLO anybody home?” the disgruntled boy snaps his fingers a couple times in front of Richie’s blank face.

“What?” Richie reenters reality. “Sorry Eds I kind of knocked out. Thought I hallucinated the text tbh.”

Eddie furrows his brows at the unprompted nickname.

“Cute.” Richie thinks.

“Don’t call me that. Anyway, whatever. Let’s go.”

“Wha – go where?” Eddie has already jumped down the porch and is heading for the sidewalk.

“I told you. We need to talk.”

“Yeah as much as I love cryptic mysteries from cute boys –”

A sharp turn on his heel, “What now?”

“I kinda need pants first.”

***

A pair of pants and a flurry of curtly answered questions later Richie and Eddie are walking down a dirt path towards the wooded part of town. Eddie heads straight on through the trees. He fiddles with the zipper of his fanny pack around his waist. Richie walks in circles around him.

“So, where we headed Monsieur. Tour Guide?” Richie adds a heavy, terrible, French accent on the last bit of the question.

No answer.

“Is it a magical fairy forest? Or maybe a dead body? Oh, a magical dead body? A ZOMBIE?”

Eddie finally flicks his gaze up, “Will you shut up for two seconds? I’m trying to think,” and swiftly walks faster towards a clearing.

Richie doesn’t know what to think. What could this boy that he met 9 hours ago possibly need to say to him that’s so important? The questions buzz around in his brain and make his fingertips drum. He slowly approaches Eddie who’s crouching over a stream.

The bugs are out. They dance on the surface of the running water; the sound is the only thing filling the foot of space between them.

“Are you going to murder me quick or make it hurt?”

Eddie pinches the bridge of his nose and groans as he stands. He looks directly at Richie, and Richie feels something in his gut like he’s been looking into those eyes for lifetimes.

“I don’t believe in soulmates.” Eddie breaks the silence.

“THAT’S what you woke me up at 8 am for?” Richie’s long arms further gesture his frustrations. “Dude we were both milkshake drunk and ready to pass the fuck out. You don’t just kill a guy’s Mickey D hang over like that! Plus, that’s more of a “high at 3 in the morning kind of opener don’t you think? I mean –” The clenching of Eddie’s jaw and the sharp intake and outtake of breath stop him mid-sentence; he swallows his adrenaline. “Eddie. What’s this about?”

Eddie doesn’t say anything. He simply averts his gaze, steels his nerves, and pulls down the collar of his soft yellow polo to reveal _FRENCH FRY?_ in the same small lettering, in the same exact spot as Richie’s soul mark.

At first Richie doesn’t get it. He’s confused and then ecstatic, then confused all over again. “Oh my god. Eddie. It’s you.” He takes a large step into Eddie’s personal space. His head is filled with nothing but “I found him. I found him. I found him.”

Eddie responds with taking an even bigger step back. “Don’t.” Richie freezes in place.

“What? I don’t understand.”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“’Don’t’? Don’t what?”

“No before that.”

Richie takes a moment. He sifts through the rubble of the happiness that was just snuffed out without a second thought.

“’I don’t believe in soulmates’?” He returns to Eddie. Eddie’s expression is sympathetic but firm. “What does that even mean? It’s right there,” Richie points to Eddie’s soul mark under his shirt. “How the fuck do you not believe in soul mates?”

Eddie brings his shoulders to his ears, “I just – I can’t. I think they’re stupid.

Richie stares at Eddie like he’s an insanely complicated math problem, or a leprechaun with three eyes, or literally the only person on the face of the earth that doesn’t believe in soul mates.

“Like, come on. A perfect person the universe has made for you dictated by some random birthmark you’re born with? It’s bull shit. What if you like someone else? What if you don’t like who your soul mate is? What if –?”

“Is that why you lied?” Richie interrupts Eddie’s tirade. Eddie’s punctuating hand gestures come to a halt.

“No, Richie –”

“Is that why you brought me out here? To tell me you’re my soul mate and that you hung out with me for two hours and decided I wasn’t good enough?” Richie voice was getting louder, and his vision was getting foggier.

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean!”

“Do you know WHY I lied?” he half yells.

Eddie waits, Richie is still fuming but he relaxes a fraction. He scans Eddie’s face for traces of malice. He finds nothing. Richie thinks back to last night when he showed him his soul mark. Deep down in the pit of his soul he knew Eddie recognized it, but why didn’t he push it? Maybe because he knew there was more to the story.

“No.”

“Exactly. We don’t know anything about each other.” He violently gestures at the two of them.

“So what? We’re just going to ignore it? You do realize the whole point of soul mates is us. Souls. Mate. For life. Like penguins. We are the penguins Eddie.”

“Well maybe I don’t want to mate for life!”

“Ouch.”

“Fuck. No, Richie. That came out wrong. I just mean I don’t know if I want to be with you.”

“Wow! Double ouch Eds! Just cut my mark off with a chain saw while you’re at it!”

“NO! Jesus fuck,” Eddie hides his face in his hands. “I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.”

“Take your time soul mate. We just gotta meet all of our lifelong friends in an hour that’s all.”

Eddie takes a deep breath, rubs his temples, faces an understandably defensive Richie Tozier. “I’m not … closed to the idea of … this. I just don’t want to jump into things when I’m not sure if my feelings are genuine.”

Richie visually deflates, a sense of understanding washes over him. “Why didn’t you just say that?”

“I don’t know!” It was Eddie’s turn to close in on himself. “You we’re so fucking excited. I panicked.”

“Eds,” Richie chuckles through it, “it’s not like I was gonna handcuff you to me and make you be my boyfriend! Unless you’re into that kinda thing.” He wiggles his eyebrows very suggestively.

“Ugh, beep beep Richie! And don’t call me Eds!”

“Nooo! When did she even have the time to teach you that!”

“I caught on pretty quick last night. Bev told me you were one milkshake away from Sugar High Richie which is almost worse than Unbearably Annoying Richie.”

Richie lets out a loud “HA!” as they turn to walk out the way they came. Richie slings an arm around Eddie and tousles his hair. Eddie complains but smiles a bit too.

“More like Annoyingly Handsome Richie!”

“Oh please. You know who’s really handsome is Mike Hanlon.”

“Curse you Mike Hanlon for stealing all my cuties away!” Richie yells and shakes a fist at the foliage blocked sky.

Eddie laughs a bit softer.

“But honestly Eddie. Nothing has to happen between us. Not if you’re not ready.

“Thanks Richie that means a lot.”

Richie slides his arm away from Eddie, they walk side by side through the woods. Richie fiddles with some plants along the way. Eddie looks at the leaves his shoes crush on the ground.  
“Can we keep it a secret?” Eddie’s quiet question grabs Richie’s attention from the flower he’s pulling apart.

“I don’t know man, we can try but Bev’s gonna sniff us out the second we show up together.”  
“Yeah I know, but can we try? Please? I don’t really like people in my business. Especially if it’s … uncertain business.”

Richie sinks into Eddie’s amber rich eyes and comes to the realization that he would do anything for Eddie.

“Yeah. Of course.”

***

If Richie is a bit heartbroken after this whole ordeal he doesn’t show it. He jokes with Eddie the rest of the way to the Aladdin where the three B’s are getting their tickets. Bev sizes up the two of them but doesn’t ask after Eddie gives her that look that she knows means “I’ll tell you one day.” Eddie introduces himself to Bill who refuses to take off his pitch-black sunglasses, and they all congratulate Stan and Mike when they walk up hand in hand right as the movie is about to start. The seven of them take up a whole row and share way too many snacks for that many people. Richie sits next to Eddie and when Eddie makes each of them sanitize their hands before sharing anything Richie thinks, “I’m so happy it’s him.”

And if there’s a flower stem with a single petal attached squished in Richie’s back pocket because he just so happened to finish with “he likes me”, that’s his business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still have no idea where this is going lol. I know relatively where I want them to end up but I'm still trying to figure out just how long I want to make this, cause at the rate the scenes are playing out its about to be ... long.


	3. The Vetting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> post movie the losers get lunch and get to know each other

2 hours and 20 bags of contraband snacks later, the kids smush into a booth at the diner across the street. Established god knows when, the joint sports rugged red upholstery and faded wallpaper. Upbeat oldies play softly out of the vintage jukebox.

“Come on Denbrough, scoot your pretty ass over!” Richie barks into Bill’s ear as he tries to push him in faster. Eddie sits next to Richie. Bill groans.  
“I-inside vo-voice Richie.”

“I told you to stop bringing your own booze to parties Bill.” Bev chides as she pulls a chair up to sit at the head of the booth.

“Just get m-me a cheese b-burger and pret-tend I’m not he-here.” Bill secures his shades onto the bridge of his nose. With Bill out of commission, Richie turns his attention to his next target.

“Soooo. Mikey, Farmer Mike, Mikey Mouse. May I inquire about your intentions with our precious Stanley Uris?” The gang all turn their attention to Mike. He’s got the window seat with Stan in the middle and Ben on Bev’s left.

“No.” Stan cuts him off.

“Oh, come on it’s all right.” Mike reassures. Everyone simultaneously leans in closer; Mike brings his arm up behind Stan on the booth. “I knew I was going to get vetted by the infamous best friend sooner or later.”  
“And vetting we shall! Muwahaha.” Richie rubs his grubby little hands together. “So –”

“Wait! What are we eating?” Bev flags down a passing waitress. They all grab the one-page menus in front of them.

A middle-aged waitress, nametag: JAN, pulls out a pad and pen, “So, what’re y’all having kiddos?”

Richie rattles off at least five different things he wants. Stan and Mike chat to themselves. Eddie starts asking the poor waitress a slew of questions about additives and “what’s exactly in the sloppy joe?” Bev flicks him in the head. “Ow! What the hell?”

“This isn’t some five-star restaurant sweetie, it’s all greasy and it’s all half decent.”

Jan overlooks the jumble of voices. “Um, I can just come back…”

“No, if we don’t do this now these animals are never going to decide.” Bev turns to the boys, “Focus!" They all stop and pay attention. "Ok, Hangover Bill is getting a cheeseburger and dr. pepper. I’m getting hot fried chicken, lemonade, what about you babe?”

“Um, same is fine. Not spicy.”

“Lovebirds?”

Mike answers for the couple, “He’s getting a house salad and I’m getting a double with fries. Water’s good.”  
Richie snaps his nose out from the vertical menu and gives Stan a _wtf_ face. “Salad? At a burger joint? Stan, what ever are you thinking?”  
Stan just squints his eyes at the question. “I’ve been a vegetarian for FOUR YEARS, Richie.”

“Whoowee”, Richie imitates an exaggerated southern accent, “a vegetarian and a jew who woulda known these parts were so colorful?”  
Eddie snorts behind his menu.  
“We go to the same temple you idiot!” Stan yells back. Richie lets out a dramatic gasp. The whole group starts snickering.

Eddie interjects, “Richie shut up.” He snaps his mouth shut and just pouts a bit. The others are amazed to say the least. “I’ll get the fried chicken too. Spicy.”

“Alright, and for you, hon?” Jan turns to Richie.

Richie looks at the menu one last time. “Hehheheh ok, I want the full breakfast, blueberry syrup, whipped cream, a chicken burrito, ranch dressing, a side of macaroni, and … a chocolate shake.”

“Jesus Christ dude.” Bev looks at him like he’s crazy.

“What? I’m a growing boy! Oh wait,” he turns to Eddie and asks quietly, “did you want some?”

“Yeah sure”

“A vanilla shake,” Richie corrects, “with an extra cup for my special guy here.” Richie nudges his shoulder against Eddie’s. Eddie kicks Richie under the table.

“Ow!”

Eddie innocently looks elsewhere.

Bev raises a brow at them then turns to Jan. “Got all that ma’am?”

“Yes ma’am.” Jan jots down a last note and heads for the kitchen.

As soon as she’s gone Richie whips his devilish grin back to Mike. “So, what’s the scoop Mikey? We don’t see much of you at school. Hear you burned down your old house, that true?”

“Richie I swear—” Stan looks like he’s about to beat Richie’s ass. Richie looks like he’s living for it.

Mike throws his head back and laughs. “No, it’s nothing crazy like that. Yeah our old house burned down, sans arson. I promise. And as for school I’m kind of half homeschooled, half taking the advanced agriculture classes at the community college. I love farming but I’m trying to make our place as eco-friendly as possible.”

“Watch out, keep talking like that and Stanny’s gonna get obseeeeessedddd.” Richie looks over at Stan who had been gazing lovingly at Mike talk about his work for some time now.  
“Eat me, Tozier.” Stan blushes a bit from getting called out.

“That’s kind of the point though.” Mike winks and pulls Stan closer. He blushes a lot a bit.

An uproar of screams and “cute!”s rise from the table. Richie high fives Mike.

“Awww, you two are disgusting.” Bev laughs.

“Speaking of vetting.” Mike continues, “there’s a certain somebody at this table that’s even more of a mystery than I am.” He turns to Eddie who jolts up straight.  
“What me?”

“Yeah, you’ve been pretty quiet. What’s your story?”

Before he can answer, Richie opens his mouth, “Eddie? Quiet? This kid’s got a psycho streak as wide as Montana. I ate a nugget off the ground yesterday and I’m pretty sure I have tinnitus from him yelling at me about flesh eating diseases or whatever.”  
“That’s not how tinnitus works you idiot! I wish you did get it though cause that was the most disgusting thing I ever saw! And who the fuck said I was psycho have you seen what you’re wearing?

“Checkers go with pineapples! Right Bev? Back me up here?”  
“Absolutely not. You look like you got stuck in a blender with an 80s music video and a SpongeBob episode.”

“Okay, okay, so not quiet.” Mike retracts, “But you’re not from around here right?”

“Is it that obvious?” Eddie looks at Bev. _I don’t know what to say._

“Well, for starters, he’s my cousin.” Bev cuts in. “He lived here for a bit when we we’re kids but moved a few towns over when we were in elementary.”

Richie’s heart sinks. “He was so close.” He thinks. He thinks about how they could’ve lived a few blocks away from each other, and gone to the same school together, and walked the same streets, and how he could have met his soulmate so early in his life. He thinks about how he wouldn’t have had to endure heartbreak. He thinks about all the time they lost, and the time they’re losing right now.

Eddie must have been thinking the same thing because when Richie brings himself to look at Eddie he’s already looking at him.

“Moving back in senior year is a big decision.” Stan’s voice pulls their attention. “There must’ve been a good reason.” Stanley Uris, as perceptive as ever bores into Eddie’s hesitation.

“Um.” Eddie fiddles with is fanny pack zipper. Bev leans into his ear. “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to.”

He gives her a small smile, “Um, it’s nothing too big, my mom just didn’t like the city. Thought it was kind of dangerous, so she got us transferred. That’s all.”

“Did something happen?” Ben, always concerned, asks with a soft expression. He asks not knowing the whole situation but knowing enough from what Bev has ranted about.

“Not … really,” Eddie digs his thumb into the corner of the zipper.

Richie stares at Eddie’s profile. He can _feel_ the anxiety radiating off of Eddie’s body, he can feel it in the pit of his stomach like it’s his. The way his ears are buzzing, clouding his senses, pulling him farther and farther away from the group. Richie worries that that zipper is going to just snap off and he won’t have any idea what to do. He wants to touch Eddie’s soul mark until he calms down.

“A bunch of stuff just started piling up on each other and … and we decided we needed a, um, a change of pace.” Eddie’s white-knuckle grip strains on the end of the zipper, he face remains neutral, but Richie can tell he’s biting his cheek.

“It must’ve been pretty intense then.” Stan’s stare never wavers from Eddie’s.  
“Yeah.” The response is strained now. Bev quickly catches on, but Richie is faster. He detaches Eddie’s shaking hand from the hot zipper; he can feel the deep imprint on his thumb and holds it. Eddie lets out a sharp inhale and slow exhale that seems to release much of the tension from his body. A glint of recognition shines over Bev's eyes as she flicks to their lightly nested hands. Her light bulb moment halts as Eddie quickly refocuses.

“Basically my mom is insane and treats me like I’m terminal and I found out she was making up a bunch of my illnesses and we had a falling out at school and I kind of blacked out and got expelled.” Eddie spills out in a rush.

He meet’s Stan’s gaze while surrounded by the gaping expressions of the others minus Bev who knows exactly what Sonia Kaspbrak is capable of.

“Oh, my g-g-god, Eddie that’s horrib-ble.” Bill breaks the tension.

“Fuck!” Richie jumps. “You’re alive!”

“Thank you Hangover Bill, but honestly this is the first and only weekend of my high school life that I’m going to have away from her so if you guys don’t mind I would like to just NOT.”

They all make a silent agreement to that, the awkwardness, however, hasn’t entirely lifted. A few moments pass and no one knows how to restart the momentum.

“Hey you guys.” Richie speaks first.

“Hm” “What”

“I think something bad is about to happen.”

They all turn their attention to Richie. He deeply inhales, and waits a moment, before ripping a huge _buurrrppp!!!_ In all of their faces.

A spouting of “gross”s and groans fill the space.

“That’s fucking disgusting!” Eddie yells.

“God what did you eat?” Stan blocks his nose.

“Smells like baja blast and hot Cheetos.” Ben assesses.

Bev fans the air in front of her and Eddie.

“Oh, come on guys that’s nowhere near as bad as the carnival of 2016.”

“BEEP BEEP RICHIE!” Stan, Bill, Ben, and Bev say in unison.

Richie scoffs, affronted. He looks at Eddie, who’s laughing hysterically and begins to laugh just as much.

“Thank god I can make him laugh.” Richie thinks.

The rest of the lunch is filled with wild stories of their escapades to get Eddie and Mike acquainted with the group chaos. Richie cracks bad jokes, Bev stirs up heated debates on the superiority or inferiority of childhood animation crushes, Ben asks everyone what they want to do after high school. Etc etc.

The food comes and nearly immediately a food fight is waged but is quickly quelled by Ben and Stan not wanting to get banned from ANOTHER restaurant.

Between the food puns and stealing Eddie’s fries Richie can’t help but remember the feeling of Eddie’s hand in his. How it felt like Richie was able to take Eddie’s pain away and how willing he was to give it up. He can feel the soft skin and the slightly rough fingertips, he can feel the light tapping of Eddie’s fingers against his that kept time as his heartbeat slowed. He thinks that maybe afterwards Eddie scooted just ever so slightly closer to Richie so that the fabric of their clothes were touching but come on Tozier that’s reaching even for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda wanted to use this as a character establishing moment like getting to know everyone's voices and their relationships with each other. It's kind of hard writing so many main characters at once lol but its quite fun so far.


	4. Initiation Ritual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Barrens it is?” Bev asks the group. They noncommittally nod.
> 
> “Barrens it is.”

The aging juke box is fading out the B side of an Everly Brothers album and the losers have stacked their devoured plates on the side for Jan to take – even all of Richie’s who probably has half the stack cause apparently that’s what it takes to fuel his blue raspberry warhead energy level. The gang is knee deep in an argument about god knows what but soon realize it’s time to go after receiving a quite passive aggressive (more aggressive) slamming of the check on the table to get their attention.

Derry, Maine, late August, 1pm. It’s a rare 100-degree scorcher. The kind where the reflecting heat makes you feel like you’re looking at the world underwater and you complain the second the wet heat touches your body.

“Race you to the car!” Richie yells out when they exit the diner. Bev and Mike take off after him, Mike looking like the obvious winner with his active body and, no, Stan is definitely not checking out his ass, no sir.

“They’re insane.” Ben laughs, “Where do they find that kind of energy in this heat? I’m getting heat stroke just watching them.”

The remaining guys hum in agreement.  
“So what _do_ you guys do around here? Please don’t say the public pool. I can’t even begin to tell you how many kinds of bacteria are in those things.” Eddie asks, airing out his shirt by the collar.

“Nah. Too many fa-familiar f-faces.” Bill responds. He pulls down his shades to test the light and immediately regrets it. Eddie’s a bit confused at first but quickly gets the gist. He can see the faraway look they all get like they’re remembering something they tried to forget; he knows that look all too well.

The four of them finally catch up to the others. Richie is chugging a bottle of water, Bev is doubled over breathing hard, Mike is leaning on the station wagon looking pleased with himself.

“I regret everything.” Richie heaves out, crushing the empty bottle.

“Why the fuck would you do that to me?” Bev grabs Richie by the Hawaiian shirt collar and shakes him violently.

“That’s what you get for enabling his ass.” Eddie walks up to Bev, fishes out the keys from her back pocket, starts the car, turns on the AC, and shoves those two idiots into the driver’s seat.

“AAAHH, thanks mom.” They say in unison as they take in the cool air. The others laugh a bit and relax in the shade of the tree they’re parked under.

“Should we just go for a swim then? It’s too hot to do anything else, and plus we’re all broke after the movie.” Ben supplies.

“Oh yeah! Eds you’ll love it. It’s perfect for your “Screw You Mom!” weekend, not to be confused with my “Screw Your Mom” weekend which was last week.”

“God don’t be fucking gross Richie and don’t call me Eds! And I am NOT touching a public pool with a ten-foot pole.”

Richie opens his mouth to seize that golden opportunity —

“I fucking dare you Tozier.” Eddie stares Richie down. He returns the gaze with a challenging smirk.  
“If you guys are just going to flirt, get off of me.” Bev pushes Richie out of the car, he sticks his tongue out at her. Eddie bites his lower cheek to stop himself from smiling.

“Are we going to decide what to do today or not? I’m getting tired of standing here.”

“Yeah, I’m with Stan. I’m down for Ben’s suggestion.” Mike points in his direction.

“Barrens it is?” Bev asks the group. They noncommittally nod.

“Barrens it is.”

***

With half in Bev’s car and the other half in Mike’s truck, they pull into the base of a large lake overlooked by a towering cliff. They all pile out and start taking off their clothes, all except Eddie.

“A-are you guys sure this is safe? Has the water been tested for cholera or schistosomiasis or –”

“Schistosomiasis isn’t found in the US.” Stan lays a couple beach chairs near the edge of the water.

Chairs, blankets, and snacks are pulled out of trunks and laid out on the dry grass. Eddie keeps his eyebrows furrowed at his reflection in the water and a tight grip on his fanny pack. Suddenly, a lean figure pops up over his shoulder. Richie grabs Eddie’s occupied arm and pulls him towards the water.

“Come on Eds it’ll be fine!”

“Don’t –”

“Come OONNN. Look.” Richie is a few steps into the water now, Eddie leans over and sees it’s relatively clear. “We’ve been playing in this pit since we were kids and we’re fiiine.”

“Fine is an opinion at this point.”

Richie just rolls his eyes. He keeps his long fingers around Eddie’s forearm but doesn’t show any indication of pulling him anywhere he doesn’t want to go. Richie may think that Eddie is looking anywhere but at him cause he’s contemplating whether or not it’s worth it to sit out in 100-degrees while all of his friends have fun, but he’d be wrong. In all actuality, Eddie is trying to not make eye contact with his very prominent soul mark, the soul mark that couples his which will be visible for everyone to see in about five minutes. But between you and me, he’s really just trying to not make it obvious that he is now privy to the fact that Richie Tozier is objectively _hot_ (also a bit subjectively hot but he hasn’t come to terms with that yet).

“Eddie?” Richie’s soft voice snaps him out of his trance. He gasps shortly and removes his arm from their conjunction. Richie looks at him. Like he’s not thinking about anything but is analyzing Eddie at the same time. He doesn’t say anything, just smiles a small sparkly-eyed smile, turns, and dives into the water. Eddie is left standing there, at the edge, the spot where Richie was holding him burning a little more than the rest of his body.

***

Eddie helps Bill set up the makeshift camp with the few large blankets coloring the sun burned earth. Bill puts Africa by TOTO on a portable radio. They hear a faint “YAAAS” from the water. Bill finally takes his shades off and leans back towards the sun.

“Wow nice to officially meet you!” Eddie jabs.

“Ha ha, yeah, s-sorry ab-bout that. L-long night.” Bill gets up and takes off his shirt and pants.

“Yeah I get that.” Eddie looks up at Bill’s toned figure semi-silhouetted by the high sun. He feels like he can kinda understand the whole “golden boy” thing now, with his multi-grey-blue eyes that look like they’ve seen the labyrinth and his large hands that look like they'll always find a way to help you up.

“You g-going in?” Bill asks. He takes off his underwear to change into his trunks, momentarily forgetting that Eddie isn’t actually one of his childhood friends and has maybe never seen another man’s junk before.

“Woah, okay!” Eddie jumps up and turns his whole body away.

“Oh S-S-SORRY! I f-forg-got!”

“Damn Bill take him on a date first before whipping it out!” Mike yells from the water, arms around a giggling Stan. The others laugh uproariously at Bill panicking into his trunks while Eddie keeps his hands up to shield his eyes. He hears Richie laughing along with the others, but he doesn’t see how the laugh falters and how hard he swallows when he looks away.

With Bill joining the five in the water, Eddie is the only odd one out baking in the afternoon sun.

“Fuck it.” He thinks and pulls his shirt over his head. The others whoop when they see he’s finally conceded.

“WAIT STOP!” Bev yells as he’s about to step in.

“What?!”

Bev run-stumbles out of the lake and pulls Eddie to the side.

“Beevv!! He was so close!” Richie protests.

“There’s something we have to do first.” A knowing, pinch of maniac smile, pulls at her lips.

“What?” Eddie looks at her and then at the others.

“Oh no.” Ben says in a small voice. “Initiation ritual.”

“INIATION RITUAL!” She yells and pulls Eddie towards the cliff. The guys climb out of the lake and follow.

“Wait. No. Whatthefuckbev.” Eddie becomes more resistant the higher they get on the cliff, the others chant “shark bait hoo ha ha” behind them.

Many curses and much arm pulling later they’re all at the top of the cliff. Bev stands on the edge, Eddie grips her arm tight.

“You’re fucking senile. Going in the water is one thing but jumping off this thing is certifiably INSANE!” Eddie is yelling now, as he does. “What if it’s shallow? What-what if there’s rocks! Or broken glass! Or hypodermic needles for god’s sake I’m not fucking getting aids because of you morons!”

“Rules are rules.” Bev states matter of fact-ly. “Part one of one of the Losers club initiation ritual.”

Eddie gulps and stares over the edge into the water. He feels like the lake gets smaller the longer he looks at it.  
“You don’t actually have to do it you know.” Ben, sweet Ben, informs him.

“SHHH!” Bev reprimands. She grabs Eddie by the shoulders and looks him square in the eyes. “Baby I know who you are. I know you know your boundaries, but I also know you know what you need. And Ben’s right. You don’t have to do it obviously because it _is_ 100 percent insane.” She lets go and backs up a few feet. “But you never know.” She smiles and sprints off of the cliff. Eddie instinctively reaches out to grab her but just misses. He watches as she plummets down into the teal water and doesn’t exhale until he sees her ginger head pop up and wave at their tiny figures above.

Mike and Stan follow after, and then Ben, and then it’s just Richie and Eddie standing there.

Like before, Richie can feel the buzzing coming off of Eddie as he watches his friends play in the lake below like they didn’t just jump off a four-story cliff.

“Don’t let all that shark bait stuff scare ya Eds. We’d never judge you if you don’t do it.”

“I know. … But I might.”

Richie hums. _I get that_. “Well you’ll survive at least.” Richie shrugs.

Eddie scoffs.

Richie isn’t really sure what to say to him, so he pats him on the shoulder to shake off some of his nerves. “You’ll be fine Eddie. You’re braver than you think.”

Eddie tears his gaze away at that and locks eyes with Richie with his damp hair and sun brightened blue eyes.

“How do you know?”

Richie taps his soul mark a couple of times and Eddie swears he can faintly feel his being touched as well. He watches as Richie jumps off and joins their friends.

Eddie closes his eyes and thinks about Richie holding his hand and how he felt like he could breathe again, and he thinks about Richie tapping their soul mark and how it felt like he was giving him some of his courage. He thinks about his mother and his inherited aversion to anything dangerous and how much she would hate this. And above all he thinks about everything he’s missed.

“Fuck it.” He breathes.

He steps off the cliff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have made the executive decision to make this into multiple fics mainly because I want a part about them at school for senior year and it would be time-skippy and I didn't feel like that would vibe with the moment-by-moment style I got going on here. So yes this whole thing is going to be pretty long.  
> Also I had no idea how tall that cliff was but obviously it wasn't "dead on impact" height so I went with 4 stories.


	5. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Eddie what are you doing?”  
> He’s doing a lot of things. He’s pacing, erratically, he’s mumbling to himself, he’s gesturing wildly, but mostly he’s internally debating whether or not he wants to tell this near complete stranger something so inherent to himself he never believed that another soul would understand it.

The lake sits golden and lazy under the low late afternoon sun; the losers are finally taking a break and small talking around a badly constructed fire. Not so much because of the lack of _whoosh_ but mainly because any second now it can catch the dry grass and then they’d be responsible for a forest fire. Or at least that’s what Eddie is thinking. The sun is making long shadows of their relaxed figures and they’re sharing bags of chips and candy. Richie’s “80s Bangin’ Bangers for Banging” playlist bumps from the speaker, currently playing Whip It by DEVO. Richie is erratically bouncing his whole body to the beat while the others decide what to do next.

“Should we just be basic bitches tonight and play truth or dare?” Bev holds out her clothes towards the fire to dry (Eddie pushed her in after she changed because of payback reasons).

“I raise you: never have I ever. Why just be basic when we can be middle school basic?” Stan counters from Ben’s side. They were talking to Mike about structural elements he can implement in his green-barn concept.

“Boo! You’re just scared Richie is gonna make you climb a tree naked again.”

Mike’s impressed and very interested expression turns to his soulmate, “You did not!”

“Please. It was a different time. I’m more mature now.” Stan turns his nose away in a _humph_.

“It was last month.” Bev informs.

“Oh my god.” Mike tries to hold back a laugh as he imagines the already bird-like Stan perched in a tree while his so-called-friends egg him on. He tries harder.

Ben checks their pile of empty snack bags for any survivors. He comes up empty. “As terrified as I am to see what kind of wicked stuff you and Richie are going to come up with to test our new friends, I’m pretty sure that bag of Lays isn’t going to tie us over … especially since Richie just finished it.”

Everyone turns to look at Richie who looks like a deer caught in headlights, however he still proceeds to dump the crumbs of their rations into his mouth.

Bev sighs and shakes her head.

“W-we can get p-pizza from Luigi’s.” Bill suggests.

Richie scrunches his nose. “Ew no. Their crust is super depressing.”

“So is the amount of money between the seven of us. It’s cheap and won’t kill us so pizza it is.” Bev takes everyone’s requests, and no one can agree on anything. After about twenty minutes of shuffling toppings and a screaming match between Richie and Eddie about pineapple on pizza they finally reach a settlement. The only problem now is who’s going to drive.

“I can’t drive a stick shift though.” Mike scratches his head.

“Ok but no one can drive your fucking monster truck dude. And I’m pretty sure driving in your underwear counts as a misdemeanor EDDIE!” Bev turns and barks at Eddie who flips her off.

“Why can’t I just take the truck again?” Mike asks.

Richie reaches over and pats him on the shoulder, “Cause Mr. Vitolo’s a bolo tie wearing racist bitch and we’re not sending you in there Mikey.”

“So what? I can handle myself.”

“He has a shotgun Mike.” Stan lightly touches Mike’s arm and he relaxes a bit.

“Then why the fuck are we eating there?” Eddie questions, tensed.

“You know anywhere else we can get three large pizzas for twenty bucks?” Bev claps back.

That’s what you get when you’re born in the boondocks and every penny you earn goes to your family’s survival and no one will give you a job cause your parents are either to divorced or too drunk or too reclusive or simply too black.

“I mean I can drive it. Just not legally. I don’t think my mom even knows I’ve driven a car.”

Bev contemplates risking Eddie getting pulled over and her car getting impounded but they’re all starving so that takes precedent of course.

“Eddie it is then.” Bev tosses her keys over. “Alright so who’s gonna --

“I will!” Richie not so subtly volunteers to tag along raising his hand like an over eager first grader teacher’s pet. They get in and start to drive off.

“Tozier! You better behave, capisce! I’m not paying for any damages!” Bev yells after them as they disappear around the bend.

***

The 7pm orange light filters through the overgrown foliage and dances over the boys as they drive out towards town. Richie puts on a rock station and quickly catches on to the beat and starts tapping at the door. Eddie shuts it off.

 _Hey_. Richie turns it back on.

Eddie shuts it off.

On.

Off.

On.

Off.

He reaches for it again. “Will you stop!” Eddie snaps.

“What’s your problem dude?”

Eddie sighs through his nose. “Nothing. I just want some quiet for two fucking seconds if that’s not too much to ask.”

They drive the rest of the way in silence. Eddie seems to relax some after Richie seems to fixate his attention on whatever’s out the window (he’s playing I Spy with himself, idk how don’t ask). They get the food all the while refusing to make eye contact with Mr. Vitolo and make their way back to camp. They’re about halfway there and Richie can’t find things to distract himself with anymore and Eddie can feel his nerves getting tenser and tenser each time Richie glances over. He’s digging his nails into the texture of the steering wheel when Richie finally can’t take it anymore.

“Are you mad at me?”

Eddie lets out a whole-body sigh. “No, I’m not mad at you Richie.”

“Are you sure cause I’m pretty sure you’re mad. I mean I’m not pretty sure I am sure. Not cause of the soulmate thing, well a little bit because of the soulmate thing, but also cause I’m not stupid you know.”

“I know you’re not stupid Richie.”

“Then why do you keep saying my name like that?”

“Like what?” Eddie’s tone sharpens as his exasperation becomes colored by frustration.

“Like I’m the shittiest person you could’ve gotten stuck with for a school project.” Richie’s voice rises with his emotions.

“What does that even mean?”

“And you say it’s fine but really you’re pissed cause you never thought I could do anything right!”

The car screeches when Eddie jams the breaks. He can feel himself getting riled up for getting called out but deep down he knows exactly what he’s done.

“Its not like you made it any easier! I told you I needed space but NOOO. You’ve been following me around like an overly-attached toddler All Day!”

“Well I’m so fucking sorry I was excited to be with my SOUL. MATE.”

“And what was with that shit you pulled in the diner!? I told you I didn’t want people in my fucking business and I’m 100% sure Bev knows now.”

“You were hurting yourself!”

“So!? What!? THAT’S NOT YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM!”

You could hear a pin drop in that car after Eddie’s sharp yelling cut through the air. Richie is looking at him a mix of hurt and worry and “I want to hug him but also I want to punch him in the face”. After a moment Richie’s eyes are still locked with Eddie’s angry ones, but eventually he retreats and turns back towards the road ahead.

“You’re right. It’s not my problem.” He says in a neutral voice. Eddie’s expression breaks, he releases the tension in his jaw.

“Richie. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I didn’t respect your boundaries. I’m sorry I pushed you.” Richie picks at some calloused skin around his nails. Eddie searches his profile, waiting for him to say something else, to continue the conversation like he always does.

“Richie –”

“Can we please just go?” It’s subtle but Eddie can feel it. The depth of sadness under the resignation. He knows how much Richie cares and how much he wants Eddie to know that, he also knows that he can never live with himself if he kills this fragile bridge between them.

“AAAGGHHH” Eddie releases a growl of frustration and scratches his hair roughly.

A startled Richie furrows his brows at him. “Eddie?”

Eddie unlocks the door and jumps out of the car. The slightly brisk fresh air calms his heated face. The sun is lower in the sky now, a deep indigo creeps over the day. Eddie takes in the openness of it all.

Richie exits the car as well and calls out to the middle of the road, “Eddie what are you doing?”

He’s doing a lot of things. He’s pacing, erratically, he’s mumbling to himself, he’s gesturing wildly, but mostly he’s internally debating whether or not he wants to tell this near complete stranger something so inherent to himself he never believed that another soul would understand it.

“My parents were soulmates and they hated each other!” He yells through the wind at the boy that wants to give him everything. He worries his lip as Richie’s eyes widen with processing and then understanding.

  
“Oh. OOOoohhh.” Richie thinks. He circles the station wagon to meet a buzzing Eddie in the middle of the road. He gets a few feet away when Eddie starts pacing again. Richie follows him back and forth, trying to catch him and calm him down and tell him it’s ok.

“They just, they couldn’t stand each other. All they did was scream at each other and hurt each other and I’m pretty sure that’s what killed my dad and I – I knew they were soulmates Richie I saw their marks and our whole family knew the story as in they were literally _there_ but like how is that even possible? It goes against the whole goddamn theory. I don't - my whole childhood was such a fucking shit show and I just –” his voice breaks and Richie is finally able to grab one of his arms to steady this hurricane of a boy but he moves away again. “I just can’t trust it ~~us~~.”

The sharp wind wraps around them where they stand staring at each other in the middle of the road on the highway. Richie doesn’t look like he’s going to say anything, and Eddie feels like an idiot. He unlocks their gaze and wishes he never said anything at all.

“I hate soulmates.”

Eddie freezes mid step and turns back towards Richie. “What?”

He shrugs. “I hate soulmates. I believe in them, but I fucking hate them.”

“How – Wait so Mr. We Are The Penguins hates soulmates? That doesn’t make any fucking sense.”

It’s Richie’s turn to pace. He puts his hands in his jean pockets and walks in a few wide circles. “My parents weren’t soulmates. They fell in love and had me and then out of nowhere both of them found their soulmates and _poof_! Bye-bye nuclear family.” He smiles a fake half smile and notices Eddie soften. “And they felt like it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. You know, universe’s perfect plan and all that jazz. So, I get double presents for Hanukah and I haven’t lived in one place for six years.” Richie stops his last circle right in front of Eddie who’s looking up at him like he’s seeing him for the first time.

“That’s so shitty. I’m really sorry Rich.”

“Yeeep. Soulmate trauma for life! Looks like we’re a match made in heaven after all.” Richie lightly punches Eddie’s shoulder and laughs a shallow laugh. Eddie continues to read his soulmate’s face and it feels like he’s looking straight through every intricate wall Richie’s ever erected around himself.

The moment is suddenly interrupted by the sweet vocals of Rick Astley. Richie fishes his phone (what’s left of it after Richie dropping it about 300 times) out of his back pocket, Bev’s calling.

“Where in the ever-loving fuck are you guys? Did Vitolo shoot Richie for being a flaming homosexual? Are you bleeding out?”

“Eat me Bevvy. I’m very straight passing thank you very much.”

Eddie snorts at that.

“In what _world_ you pastel wearing fruitcake?”

“You _are_ wearing pastel pink.” Eddie points out.

“Its UNDER a black and white button up! That’s very straight of me!”

“Yeah ok whatever. Just hurry up before we resort to cannibalism.” Bev ends the call but the two of them haven’t moved yet. They stay toe to toe, not thinking, just feeling each other in their personal space.

Richie sticks out his hand, “Truce? I promise I’ll stop being so obvious about ... whatever this is.”

Eddie smiles, “And I promise to stop getting so mad about whatever this is.” He takes his hand. They shake on it and somehow neither of them react to the tingle they feel when they separate, but they know.

The drive back is comfortable. Richie plays indie rock and they both hum along. The pizza is lukewarm by the time they get back and everyone yells at them, but they just stick it over the fire so its fine. Totally not a fire hazard. They play truth or dare and no, no one ends up naked in a tree, but Bill does end up naked in the lake, Eddie ends up drinking a shot of lake water and almost puking, and they end up finding out just how many tires Bev has slashed and how many cigarettes Richie has stolen from their English teacher. The night ends with them dancing around the fire to whatever’s playing, and lastly, cooking up a dangerously competitive game of rock paper scissors to figure out who’s sleeping where. They end up with Ben and Bev in the station wagon, Bill in the truck, Mike and Stan in the only tent they have and Richie and Eddie in the bed of the truck.

“Scoot closer Spaghetti. It’s cold.” Richie tries to close the gap between them inside the single sleeping bag.

“You did not just call me that.” Eddie wriggles around trying to get into a position that isn’t basically halfway on top of Richie.

“Look you’re just going to have to suck it up and cuddle. No homo.”  
“Will you shut up.” He tries lying flat, but it just takes up more space.

“W-will you both shut-shut up?” Bill whines from the front.

“God. Alright fine.” Eddie stops moving. They finally settle with facing each other on their sides. Eddie can’t stand the feeling of breath on his neck; it gives him the _yuck_ shivers. “No funny business, mister.”

Richie grins back, “No funny business, scout’s honor.” He puts up a scout’s hand. “GOODNIGHT” he yells out. The rest of the losers chime back variations of “goodnight”.

“Night Richie.” Eddie says, soft. Just for them.

“Night Eddie.”

And if Eddie scoots in even closer than necessary to the point where his arm is tucked under Richie’s, he’d never admit it. The same way Richie would never admit he was still awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very much debating what to do for the next day (Sunday) cause it feels like this is a good place to stop for this part of the fic. However I do want to have Richie and the other losers meet Sonia when she arrives in Derry on Monday. idk. I pulled an all nighter. Sorry for typos lol.


	6. Code Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why do you have two soul marks?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: very brief mentioning of being forcibly locked in a closet and prolonged bed rest

The red taillights of an old station wagon swirl around the figure of a boy Richie can’t place. He knows him. Maybe. He’s wearing a green corduroy jacket exactly like the one in Richie’s closet that he wears everyday once it drops below 60 degrees. He extends long fingers and calloused fingertips to introduce himself but he boy is gone. He must not have his glasses on. The colors sway and meld into a contrasting haze of red and green; there’s an uneasiness.

The fever dream breaks when the sleeping bag is moved from over his head and the blinding morning light makes its natural assault. Richie groans in protest.

“Five more minutes.” Richie attempts to pull the shared layer back over his head, forcing Eddie along with it.

“Stop pulling asshole.” Eddie’s voice is soft and annoyed. He turns back to face Richie and buries his head under the blanket first, very much close to Richie’s chest which is currently thumping with his rising heartbeat and Richie is no longer focused on getting five more minutes of sleep but rather fixated on the feeling of Eddie Kaspbrak snuggling into him.

And all Richie is thinking is, “Don’t make it weird. Don’t make it weird. Don’t make it weird. Don’t --”

_BANG BANG_

His chanting is cut off as well as the warmth of Eddie next to him. Bev holds out her phone as Eddie rubs his eyes and sits upright.

“Code red, hon.”

“Nooooo” Eddie presses his palms into his face as he flops back down.

“What’s a code red?” Richie asks as Eddie takes the phone. He looks at Bev, she just looks sympathetic.

He takes the phone. “Hey mom.”

“Oh.” Richie quickly jumps out of the truck bed to give Eddie some space. He and Bev walk over to where Ben is brushing his teeth next to the station wagon.

“Hit me haystack.” Ben hands Richie the tube of toothpaste. He squeezes some in his mouth and gargles it with a bottle of water.

A few feet away Mike and Stan stumble out of the tent. “Fun night, lovebirds?” Richie calls out to them and shimmies his shoulders in their direction. Bev proceeds to bend over as Richie sways his hips behind her. Ben tries to hide his laughter and Stan stomps over and smacks Richie on the back of the head which just makes everyone laugh. Mike pulls a cursing Stan away from them to calm him down as they point at and mock him, laughing even louder.

Richie watches. An underlying note of envy creeps up as Stan yells at Mike about how terrible his friends are, all the while Mike maintains an amused but understanding stance. He touches the mirroring spot on Stan’s upper arm that Stan had touched on Mike the night before. He watches as Stan crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. Only a few people know that that’s actually Stan’s resignation position when he’s too proud to admit he was overreacting. He thinks Mike knows that already.

“Damn. What’re the odds we’d all find our soulmates in this armpit of a town?” Richie mumbles to himself.

“We?” Ben looks, wide eyed at Richie who is also now wide eyed but with panic instead of curiosity.

“Oh! Not ‘we’ as in ‘me’ I just meant we as in us as a single entity cause, you know, we’re so unhealthily codependent on each other almost like we’re one person! Hahaha haha … ha.”

Bev analyzes Richie’s shifting posture even though she already has her conclusions. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. Can we –” she flicks her head towards the tree line. Richie swallows and shortly shakes his head.

“What’s going on?” Ben worries.

“Nothing babe, I’ll tell you later.” Bev runs her hands through his sandy hair. Richie fidgets nervously with the gravel under his bare feet. He taps out the beat to Never Gonna Give You Up on the side of the car. He’s run through half the song when he hears someone sneaking up on him.

“Nnnnever gonna g-give you up!” The tension in Richie’s shoulders releases when he hears the lyrics to his favorite song and turns to see Bill in his Moby Dick boxers excitedly awaiting Richie to continue the duet. Bev and Ben already know what’s coming.

As prompted, Richie cracks a huge grin and bellows, “NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP!!!”

They continue the song in unison and dance like idiots around their friends who 100% think they’re idiots but are smiling anyway.

“NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN”

“NEVER GONNA RUN AROUND AND DESERT YOU”

“NEVER GONNA MAKE YOU CRY”

“NEVER GONNA SAY GOODBYE”

“NEVER GONNA TELL A LIE AND HURRRTTT YOUUUU”

A few minutes of horse play later Eddie is done with the call and heads towards the group. He looks like he just got off a graveyard shift the way his posture drags and how his eyes are looking but not focusing. Bev jogs up to him and pulls him into a quick, tight hug. She ruffles his already sleep-disturbed hair and holds him by the shoulders in front of her.

“What’d she want now?”

“Nothing she just … she said she wants to come in today.”

“What the fuck that wasn’t the deal!”

“Yeah well I guess rules don’t apply to you when you’re fucking entitled and clinically unhinged!”

Bev rubs the space between his collar and shoulder blade.

“Just. Two days. Not even two days, 30 fucking hours is that SO MUCH TO ASK?!”

“I know Eddie. I know.” And she does know. She was there for the Christmas Disaster of 2013 which ended with Sonia locking Eddie in a closet, and virtually there for the Great Flu lockdown of September – November 2015. Eddie nearly had to retake 9th grade. Not to mention her own personal brand of Family Trauma that she won’t be getting into right now because that’s a whole other kind of mess.

From the waiting five a few yards away, Mike is the first to make is approach. “You two alright?” His tone warm and lifting like the mid-morning sun. “Eddie? You ok?”

Eddie offers up a half honest smile, “Yeah I’m good thanks.”

The three of them rejoin the others. Eddie feels bad but Stan reassures him that if there’s anything that the seven of them have in common it’s that they all pulled the shit stick on parents. Richie proceeds to make increasingly atrocious “your mom” jokes until he’s satisfied with the level of anger Eddie is displaying towards him. It doesn’t take many. The day is still young, however, as Bev assesses and firmly suggests they all move to Ben’s place for pancakes and soda (biggest house, more passive than aggressive parents). This results in them changing into dowdy trunk clothes because according to Eddie they had sweat the day before and that’s so gross and did you know you can get rashes or fungus from dirty laundry? Which inevitably, as all things are, results in Stan noticing the one thing Eddie had been trying to hide all of yesterday.

“Why do you have two soul marks?”

“Fuck.” He curses himself for changing next to probably the most observant guy on the planet. It’d been easy avoiding him seeing as they didn’t seem to be on the best terms since yesterday’s vetting incident, as well as Eddie’s natural preoccupation with flitting around at a mile a minute. It was easy. But apparently with just enough room for error.

Richie stops what he’s doing, along with everyone else.

“What where?” Mike swings curious eyes over Eddie’s body, he instantly step-turns away and pulls the shirt over his chest. The losers follow.

“No, I don’t. Don’t worry about it.” Eddie is walking nowhere, around the cars, avoiding eye contact. Bev cuts him off.

“That’s impossible. I’ve seen the one on your arm and I’ve seen you shirtless.” She turns back, “Stan what the fuck are you talking about?”

In a neutral but intrigued voice,” I saw it. It’s around,” He circles his collarbone, “Here.”

Her big blue eyes clarify with what she already knew but didn’t think was possible because she has also seen Richie shirtless and she reverts her gaze to Eddie’s tensed one, “Oh my god so it is true.”

Bev considers herself somewhat of a master of the art of eye conversations, especially Eddie’s seeing as most of his are directed towards her. So, when he looks at Richie on the far end of the semicircle that has come to encapsulate him she knows exactly what Eddie’s saying to him. _Help me_.

Somehow Richie was already halfway there by the time Eddie looked at him. He felt it those few yards away, but he can feel it in his bones when he stands in between Eddie and Bev. The buzzing. It’s rattling his teeth and tunneling his focus; he can’t imagine what Eddie’s feeling like right now.

Richie knows he can go toe to toe with Bev, he just doesn’t believe he won’t die each time he tries. The small two-finger grip on the back of his shirt gives him a little courage though.

“Eddie doesn’t want to talk about it.” He doesn’t flinch when Bev intensifies her stare, like she’s daring him to move. He doesn’t.

The tension fills the space like a thick tar, holding them in place.

The three of them stand like that until Eddie loosens his grip on Richie’s shirt, it isn’t until then and only then that Bev relents, and Richie can let go of the breath he was holding.

“Okay.” She addresses the awaiting five and waves her arms at them like she’s herding sheep, “Nothing to see here. Pancake time losers.” They all grumble a bit at the moment’s anticlimax, but they all get what’s going on. Richie waits for them to go grab the last of their things before facing Eddie. He’s looking at the ground. His hand is still raised where it was gripping the loose bit at the small of Richie's back, then falls to catch the frayed corner at his hip.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Richie smooths out the wild edges of Eddie’s hair and is intensely amazed that he’s getting away with it. He can feel that a slight tremble remains, but at least he doesn’t feel like the die in a magic 8 ball anymore. “Sorry but I think everyone knows now.”

“It’s ok.” Eddie inhales deep and exhales slow. “I respect Stan but fuck that guy gets to me.”

Richie chuckles softly, he definitely knows, “Yeah sorry. He’s just protective. And honestly I don’t even think he knows what he’s doing half the time.”

A corner of Eddie’s mouth quirks up a bit. “He’s a good guy though.”

“Yeah, he is.”

Finally, Eddie is able to make eye contact. His big amber eyes are lightly glossed over with almost tears and Richie is softly smiling down at him.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Richie repeats, softer than before.

A moment passes and Richie can see a glint behind Eddie’s eyes that he isn’t even sure Eddie is aware of himself. He takes a step back and calls shot gun with an atypical nonchalance that makes Eddie think that’s not what Richie wanted to say at all. There’s a seedling of disappointment in Eddie’s chest and he doesn’t know how he feels about that. He remembers Richie’s scent of week-old detergent and dried lake water; he can still feel the texture of Richie’s shirt between his fingertips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I've mislead you all into thinking that I post regularly TT__TT I get random bursts of energy for projects and then forget about them for like a month lol  
> This was actually going to be a really long last chapter for this fic but I felt bad about not posting. The next chapter will probably be the last one for this part.  
> I hope you are all enjoying this so far !! I really love them but I hate myself so slow burn it is I guess.
> 
> I feel really bad that Stan keeps being the bad guy but I really do love him !! He has his reasons !! I just don't think Stan and Eddie would mesh well if they weren't childhood friends.
> 
> Also sorry that I always describe anxiety as buzzing its just that's how I describe my anxiety and idk how else to lol


	7. Promises, Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll see you at school.” He repeats and opens the door. He’s about to get out when Richie grabs his hand. Eddie’s breath catches, he looks into Richie’s blue eyes illuminated sea-green from the golden afternoon light. They hold each other’s gaze for a lifetime.
> 
> “Not if I see you first."
> 
> Eddie cracks a genuine smile. He feels his heart relax and he knows Richie can feel it too. He gets out of the car.
> 
> \--
> 
> Bev finally talks to Eddie. Richie finally meets Sonia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: abusive parent yelling at the end after *** . honestly its not necessary to read that part if you don't want to it was just for character establishing.

Dry late summer air circulates through the four open windows in Bev’s car because according to her the AC is reserved for 95 degrees and over and “who the fuck do you think is paying for gas, Edward?” Eddie sticks his tongue out at his cousin from the worn back seat. Bev returns the favor. Ben and Bill talk about summer homework as the passing trees turn from lush to speckled with one story houses. At the stop sign that indicates they’re about to enter town, Bev glances at Eddie’s collar through her mirror. She tries to remember water balloon fights when they were three and changing together in the back seat when she spilled her slushie on the both of them at the carnival. She comes up empty.

_HONK !!!_

Beverly jumps at Mike’s aggressive truck honk. He’s playfully flipping her off while Richie sticks his head out of the back-seat window. “Hurry up grandma! Nap time’s over!”

“EAT ME!” She yells back. They proceed to Ben’s place.

The Hanscom residence was just like every other residence on the block. Two stories, some shade of beige, perpetually stuck in the seventies. The seven of them piled into Ben’s room because according to his parents the downstairs was for entertaining “important guests” only. The room was average. Standard size but seemed smaller with the multitude of architecture sketches and photocopied textbook pages lining his walls. “Make yourselves at home guys.” Ben smiles to the group as they look for places to sit.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Richie says as he flops onto the bed and immediately grabs one of Ben’s plushies to squeeze.

“Grow up Tozier.” Stan jabs despite proceeding to sit on Richie’s stomach in the middle of the bed. Richie lets out an “OOF!” Followed by a “COME ON!” When Bill sits on Richie’s legs, sparking a squirming fight between the three best friends.

Ben sets up his gaming console which quickly breaks up the horseplay as they all dive for the controllers. Bev just rolls her eyes. She looks over at Eddie who’s glancing over some sketches on the wall. She bumps their shoulders together. “Wanna help me with the pancakes?” Her tone is whisper soft, but her gaze is leading, and Eddie knows he’s put this off for too long already. He nods.

The two of them can still hear the sounds of laughing and super smash bros as they take out the ingredients for at least two dozen pancakes. Metal instruments on marble countertops is the only sound for a while.

“So,” Bev speaks first. “You think Richie’s hot?”

Eddie jolts and drops his whisk on the floor. “Jesus fucking Christ.” Bev doubles over in laughter as Eddie frantically wipes up the pancake mix and tries to hide the insane blush on his face.

“Aw baby I’m sorry!” She’s still laughing when she bends down to Eddie’s level. “Hey.”

Eddie doesn’t want to look at her.

“ _Hey_.” Her hands on his shoulders, she steadies him. “It’s going to be ok. Richie’s a mess. And he dresses terribly, but he’s a good guy.”

Eddie still doesn’t say anything, he just presses his palm to his forehead and sits on the floor, dirty paper towel in hand. He looks at Bev. She knows this look. It’s the look he had when their kindergarten teacher announced their class was going on a field trip to the beach, the look he had when Bev made him promise to visit when he moved away when they were six, the look that solemnly sighed, _why even try?_

“Is this about your dad?” Eddie just nods, head against the cupboard. “Oh, come on Eddie, that was just a fluke! You know how your mom is, she could’ve been keeping him hostage for all you know!”

“I don’t know what to think Bev. I just know it made me miserable and I don’t want to risk anything. Not when I’m this close to getting away from her.”

Bev’s eyes go from imploring to sympathetic. She knows she can’t argue with that.

“I got the scholarship you know.”

Beverly’s face lights up and she jump hugs Eddie. “Oh my god Eddie!!! That’s amazing!!! Wait but … at lunch …”

“I didn’t want to say it in front of Richie. He was already feeling shitty about what I said about soulmates, I just … “ Eddie trails off, a small blush dusting his cheeks.

Bev cracks a teasing grin and rapidly pokes him in the stomach. “AAAWWW you care about him!!! That’s so gay!”

That finally brings a giggle out of Eddie. “Shut up,” he says through a smile. They stand and continue their breakfast prep. Bev continues to flash mocking grins at Eddie and playfully kicks at him every once in a while. Eddie is smiling too.

“Don’t … don’t say anything about this to Richie ok?”

“Oh, come on Eddie he’s my best friend! You know he’s already obsessed with you.”

“Yeah I know. That’s why. I’ll just hurt us both more than necessary.”

“You gotta give yourself a little more credit kiddo. Just tell him you’ll try –” Eddie cuts her off with an extended pinky finger.

She tightens her mouth and grumbles a bit under her breath. “Goddamit.” She links her pinky with his.

The griddle is covered in mismatched blobs of batter. Regular size for everyone except Richie who likes one gigantic pancake and mini ones for Stan who apparently doesn’t just look like a bird but eats like one too.

Eddie is in the middle of flipping when Bev asks.

“Can I see it?”

Eddie stops, considering. After a moment he turns and pulls down his shirt. Blue eyes sparkle behind auburn lashes because it’s really there. _FRENCH FRY?_

“Wow. I can’t believe his crazy McDonalds experiment actually worked.” Her awe snaps away when she remembers the real mystery here. “Then what the fuck is that?” Bev points an accusing finger at the _ARE YOU SURE?_ On the inside of his arm.

Eddie fidgets in place, scratches the back of his neck, doesn’t make eye contact. “A, um, tattoo?”

“A WHAT!!!” Bev hollers, mouth agape at the fact that her hypochondriac cousin who washes his hands for a full minute, who has a mini Lysol spray on his person at all times, who refuses to use a public restroom, actually let a stranger stab him with a foreign object multiple times.

“It-it’s actually pretty sanitary once you do the research.” Eddie sheepishly fiddles with the burning pancake.

“But – what – but how? What!?” For the first time Beverly Marsh is at a loss for words.

Eddie tries and fails to hold in a snicker.

“How the fuck does Sonia not know? Doesn’t she do full body checkups?”

“Yeah but I sort of convinced her it was unholy for a woman who isn’t my wife to see me naked so she asked my doctor to do it the letter to whom may have gotten lost in the mail.”

“But you’re literally tiny. Who the hell gave it to you?”  
“Well they didn’t exactly give it to _me_. They um, gave it to Dave McIntire from Hartford Connecticut age 22.”

Bev stares in disbelief. Eddie plates the pancakes. “Who hell are you and what have you done with Eddie?”

Eddie just laughs. “Its not even mine! It was just … an impulse. I don’t know.” Eddie can feel Bev’s stare waiting for him to continue. He sighs. “It was my dad’s birthday. Mom refused to go visit him like always and my friend had a car and the ID and …. It’s his mark. I saw it in a picture of us, before mom threw them all away. I just needed a piece of him. For myself.”

“AAAGGHH!” Bev wraps him in a tight hug and ruffles his hair.  
“Dude the stove’s still on!”

“Oh, just take it you big lush!” She plants a kiss on the top of his head and they both giggle like little kids.

***

The losers devoured the plates of pancakes. Along with two liters of orange juice and whatever snacks Ben had hidden in his room. The rest of the afternoon was filled with a smash tournament (Stan won) and a lengthy game of Monopoly which Bev won because she’s evil and a sadist, according to Richie at least. At 4pm Ben receives a text.

“Hey sorry guys. My folks are coming home soon, and they need the house for some clients or something.”

“Want me to come over later babe?”

“No, it’s ok. I need to get stuff ready for school.”

“Kay.” Bev gives a pressing peck to her boyfriend’s cheek.

“Godddd. How is summer over already?” Richie whines, tying his shoes with his legs above his head.

“Ready?” Mike finishes lacing up his boots and looks up at Stan.

“Yeah. See you at school guys.” Mike and Stan wave to the group.

“Bye” “See you later” Bye lovebirds!”

Bev turns to the remaining three. “Alright morons I guess it’s just you and me. Let’s go.”

The rest say their farewells to Ben and jump back into the station wagon. Bill calls shot gun.

Eddie sits still, close to the window, Richie sits slumped into the cushions, feeling extremely uncomfortable wearing a seatbelt but after about five straight minutes of Eddie ranting about passenger safety he finally gave in.

“I h-hope we ha-ave Engl-lish together Ed-Eddie.”

Richie leans over a bit, “He’s had English with each of us. He says he can tell what kind of person you are from which great American novel is your favorite. Freaking nerd.”

“A nerd that’s going to live longer than you cause he’s not an idiot.”

“I’m wearing it now aren’t I?!”

Eddie curtly crosses his arms and looks away. Richie does the same.

Oasis fills the silent car. The Sunday roads are sparse as they approach a suburban part of town.

“Right here Bev.” Eddie spots his new house coming up. As well as his mother sitting on their new front porch. “Fuck.”

Richie had an idea of what Sonia Kaspbrak looked like. She had scraggly hair and a big witch’s nose and eight legs and carried a bible around in each hand. Well, she didn’t have eight legs but everything else seemed about right. He looked over at Eddie, he couldn’t see his face, but he could feel his heart.

“Eddie.”

He looks at Richie. The look is almost like fear but it’s sturdy like a towering ocean stone that knows what’s coming. “I’ll see you at school Richie.” Eddie half smiles. Something inside Eddie tells him to reach out. That now that he knows who Richie is to him he knows the power he holds. Eddie stops his hand halfway between them. “I’ll see you at school.” He repeats and opens the door. He’s about to get out when Richie grabs his hand. Eddie’s breath catches, he looks into Richie’s blue eyes illuminated sea-green from the golden afternoon light. They hold each other’s gaze for a lifetime.

“Not if I see you first."

Eddie cracks a genuine smile. He feels his heart relax and he knows Richie can feel it too. He gets out of the car.

***

Bev helps Eddie bring his suitcases up to the house with the unkempt lawn and Sonia Kaspbrak clenching her red fists. Beverly has her fists clenched just as tight.

“EDWARD KASPBRAK! WHERE IN GOD’S NAME HAVE YOU BEEN?!” Her voice is booming and shrill and from the car Richie can tell exactly where Eddie gets his temper from but without the malice.

“I told you I was going to hang out with Beverly and her friends this weekend.” Eddie’s tone isn’t sarcastic. It’s matter of fact, and calm, it’s the result of years of practice.

“I told _YOU_ I would be calling you EVERY HOUR. WHY haven’t you been picking up your phone Eddie-bear? You don’t want to talk to me? You don’t want to talk to your Mommy?” Her tone has jumped from angry to weak. She looks like she’s about to cry.

“I’m sorry Mommy,” Eddie internally cringes at the word. “My phone must’ve run out of battery.” Eddie takes out his phone. Sonia slaps it out of his hand. Richie yanks his seatbelt off and reaches for the door.

“Wait.” Bill says in his stern voice. Richie waits, he watches as Sonia Kaspbrak’s face reaches an even brighter shade of red.

She’s yelling again.

“YOU -- YOU TOLD ME – YOU PROMISED ME! Phone! Wallet! Keys! Charger! Two suitcases!” Sonia continues to list off everything from their checklist, Bev picks up his phone with hands stricken with rage. Eddie gives her a look that says, _RELAX_.

“That’s it! If you’re going to disrespect me like this you’re grounded! No – no tv, no phone, no friends. You go to school, do homework, do bible study with Mommy and THAT’S IT! Oh, you know I just do this because I love you Eddie-bear. I just want what’s best for you. You’ve been so busy with your friends this summer you never spend time with me anymore. Don’t you miss me, baby?”

“You’re right Mommy, I’m sorry.” Eddie’s expression is flat, Bev’s is livid, Sonia’s is elated.

“Oh Eddie!” she brings her arms up for a hug. “I love you so much.” Eddie is about to return the hug when a loud _scoff_ comes from behind them.

“God fucking damnit.” Eddie thinks.

“And what do you have to say for yourself young lady?”

“Nothing Aunt Sonia.”

“Nothing? NOTHING!” Sonia screams at Bev and it takes everything in her to not set her on fire. “Do you have any idea how worried I was about him? MY SON?! You listen to me, I don’t care if you’re family, you were a mistake. I know it, my brother knows it, and so did his slut of a wife.”

Beverly holds her breath. Her knuckles are white.

“Ok that’s it. Eddie I’ll see you later.” She hands over his backpack, when she’s close enough she whispers, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” he replies.

As she jumps off the porch Sonia pushes Eddie behind her and looks like she’s about to go after Beverly. Richie swings the door open, ready for anything.

“Get in the fucking car.” She growls at him, opening the driver’s door.

When Richie looks at Eddie he doesn't know what to do. Sonia’s got his arm in a vice grip and he’s talking to her softly. Bev is yelling at Richie to get in the car or she’s leaving his skinny ass out here, Sonia is yelling profanities in their direction, the hum of the afternoon traffic drones on in the background, but he can’t hear any of that. What he can hear is the beating of his own heart and the sound of Eddie next to him the back of the truck. He doesn’t start breathing again until Eddie meets his eyes. He doesn’t get into the car until Eddie nods and taps their soul mark and disappears into the house. He doesn’t say anything on the drive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly so sorry this took so long for me to pick up!!! I'm planning on a second fic but idk when I'm starting that :(  
> Thank you for reading so far!!!


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